


The Emperor and His Witch

by spirithorse



Series: Tales from Britannia [2]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-20 00:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1489588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles from Lelouch/C.C. week from 4/14-4/18.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. For Whom the Bell Tolls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've already written a version of a Code Geass/Hunger Games fusion, but it's too fun to pass up. For the prompt: games.

C.C. didn’t bother to move from the sofa as Lelouch strode back into their rooms, merely raising a hand to wave at him. Even then, the wave was more of a flick of her fingers. She wasn’t even sure that he saw the motion, considering that Lelouch was probably still in the ridiculous get up that he had started to wear after he had been saved from the Quarter Quell.

The outfit was probably what the people wanted, probably they were used to the grand drama that was the capital or their own need for large shows. And Lelouch was out to show up the Games themselves. C.C. would give on the point that Lelouch knew what the people wanted, which was the entire reason he was getting so much support.

A former prince, dressed in dark colors to show his mourning for those who had died in the Games with him and those who had died before. The mask was for the same reason, and to allow for Zero to appear and disappear in many different places at once, just to confuse the forces. It was easier to draw Britannia away from where refugees were being directed when they were chasing after a Zero that could appear and reappear through the ruins of the Shinjuku district of Area 13. The performance had even started rumors that Zero was a ghost, the ghost of the prince who had died in the Games. No one knew that Lelouch had survived. To the rest of Britannia, the canon had gone off for him towards the end of the Games, just before the whole thing fell apart.

She shifted as she heard the thud of the mask against the desk, followed by the rustle of fabric. So Zero was done with public appearances for the day, which meant that Lelouch would hole himself up in his room and bury himself to plan. Although, if she knew Lelouch, he would spend his time working to find the three people that mattered the most to him.

To the best of her knowledge, Marianne and Nunnally were still alive. It was just a matter of sorting through the refugees that were constantly streaming into their headquarters, being armed and then sent to strategic places around Britannia. Zero was building an army of the people, and Britannia still didn’t know. Of course, C.C. was sure that it was just a way for Lelouch to work quickly before his father struck back. Up until now, Charles had treated them as a mere annoyance, which was just what they wanted. It would give Lelouch plenty of time to gather his army and make his plans

It would also give him plenty of time to find his friend, if Suzaku was still alive. Personally, C.C. doubted it. It had been hard enough to lift Lelouch from the Games, and he had been in the clear. Suzaku had been in the midst of the fight.

A grunt made her sit up from the couch, C.C. sitting up to stare at Lelouch.

The prince was hunched over his desk, his hands threaded through his hair. From the way that he was just staring at the screen meant that there was no good news, which meant that he would probably spend the night working through his plans and the troop movements rather than sleeping.

Before, C.C. would have snapped at him to get to sleep, but they all dealt with the aftermath of the Games differently. Lelouch drew back into himself and focused on any part of his revenge plan that he could.

C.C. preferred to just ignore what had happened as much as she could. It was in her past, and it had been done for survival. It wasn’t quite enough to help the nightmares, but it worked to keep her moving, and that was all that mattered. Getting through the day was her primary goal, anything else was just a bonus. Of course, it was easier to bluster her way through the day when only one person saw her break. And, in return, she was the only one who got to see Lelouch breaking down. At least, she was the only one that got to see that anymore. There were times that she was almost jealous of Lelouch, because he had gotten to have someone to recover from Games with him.

She stared at Lelouch’s back for a moment before sliding off the couch. If she wanted a chance at a full night’s sleep, she would have to break him out of his funk. Or she would try. Kallen had never seemed to mind when C.C. turned up in her room for the night, even better she never asked for an explanation. Perhaps she could guess, considering that Naoto had been killed in the Games. There were plenty of others in the compound that C.C. could go to, but Kallen was the one who had never asked questions.

Lelouch jumped when she rested a hand on his back, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been before. Better yet, he didn’t turn around, which meant that he knew that it was her. C.C. patted his shoulder before stepping to the side, boosting herself up onto the desk.

Usually Lelouch hated when she did that, because it was his space. But he didn’t even look up.

C.C. huffed, reaching over to flick Lelouch’s bangs into his face. “If only all of the people who swoon over Zero could see how their hero acted.”

“C.C…”

There was a warning in his tone, but it was without the usual force. Lelouch didn’t care at the moment, and that was worrying.

C.C. frowned and leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of what was on the laptop screen. Lelouch hunched forward as well, blocking her view. She only got a glimpse of the homepage of the Camelot Project, which didn’t tell her anything. For all she knew, Lelouch was hacking into Britannia’s top scientific companies to see what they were up against. That still wouldn’t make Lelouch’s reaction make sense.

She drummed her fingers against the desk, debating between two options before sliding off the desk. Bugging Lelouch out of his mood wouldn’t work, because he was too far gone to respond. It wouldn’t work and it would be no fun.

C.C. sighed and reached out to rest her hand on Lelouch’s head. He didn’t jump this time, instead tipping his head a bit to lean into her touch. C.C. smiled at the move. It meant that he was still open to talking, no matter how he acted. In this case, C.C. was sure that he wanted to talk, but he didn’t want to bring up the subject. Lelouch probably thought that she was fragile, which was true. There were many ways that she could fracture, but she had learned to watch for cracks, and she had learned far faster than Lelouch.

It had been three years since her time in the Games, and she had managed to miss the Quarter Quell. Three years was enough time to regain some sort of control, or at least enough that she wouldn’t attract the attention of the government. Lelouch wasn’t at that point yet, and he wouldn’t with his rebellion going on. Instead, everything would get shoved away until Lelouch was finished.

And then he would collapse. C.C. just hoped that Lelouch found his family before that happened, because she was sure that she would just collapse under the weight of what he was carrying as well.

She ran her fingers through his hair, carefully moving his bangs away from his eyes. “What is it?”

Lelouch gripped the edge of his desk, C.C. sure that he would just shake his head and push her away. He had been pushing her away more often lately and C.C. had never wanted to push him for a reason.

Instead, he pushed away from the desk, gesturing at the laptop. “Take a look.”

C.C. glanced at him before shuffling closer to the laptop.

At first glance, there wasn’t anything important, just the list of ongoing projects and future ones. Nothing there sounded threatening, it was just the usual run of research. C.C. hummed, scrolling down the page. She wanted to just step away and give the computer back to Lelouch, because something must have triggered him and she probably wouldn’t be able to figure it out. She had never been able to figure out what made Lelouch tick. C.C. was on the brink of just pushing the computer back towards Lelouch when she caught sight of one of the projects.

She leaned forward, frowning as she read over the experiment that was currently running. From what was on the page, the project was something to help soldiers recover from the wars that Britannia was fighting abroad, something to help them deal with PTSD. Except that C.C. knew for a fact that all of Britannia’s wars were faked, they were all made up to keep the people cowed. All of their soldiers were sent out to train outside of the Areas and then brought back, and then they were made to wait to be shipped out. What happened to them afterward C.C. didn’t know, but that didn’t matter as much as the project. If they weren’t using it to help soldiers, then who were they using it on?

“Lelouch, they’re using it on tributes, aren’t they?” The soft grunt that he made was enough of an answer, C.C. pushing the laptop away in disgust. “Career tributes.”

“Not just them. I found Suzaku.”

C.C. didn’t look away from the computer, trying to catch up to Lelouch’s line of thought.

Suzaku had been a top scoring tribute in the Games, scoring far higher than the career tributes that everyone had been hoping would win. C.C. had heard what the reporters had said during the Games, about how Suzaku would make a fine soldier for the empire after he was done. They had treated it like a training course for the military, and the whole capital had been in an uproar when Suzaku had been chosen again. Britannia’s favorite soldier was back for another war, except that he hadn’t been playing according to Britannia’s rules. The project would make sure that he went back to playing by those rules, and Britannia would get their star soldier back.

She jerked away from the laptop, watching Lelouch as he curled further into himself. She didn’t know what to do, especially since he was probably already thinking far ahead of her. Knowing Lelouch, he was moving on to the gruesome tortures that probably wouldn’t be happening for another few weeks, but that wouldn’t stop Lelouch.

C.C. hopped up onto the desk again, this time across from Lelouch. She reached out to touch his hair again, running her fingers through it again. Lelouch shivered and scooted his chair closer, C.C. surprised when he pressed his head against her stomach.

She stared down at him for a moment before going back to stroking through Lelouch’s hair. After a moment of stillness, she hunched over him, protecting Lelouch in the only way she could. It would be better for him, because he would feel safe. Someone had his back again, and he needed to calm down quickly. C.C. couldn’t make up the plans for the Black Knights and if they wanted to survive, they needed Lelouch functioning. If he was torturing himself, then nothing would get done.

“Lelouch,” she waited until he made a pained sound to continue. “we’ll find Marianne and Nunnally. I promise you that. They won’t get to touch them.” She hesitated a moment before reaching down with one hand to hold onto his shoulder. “Lelouch, you still have me and I’m not leaving until we’re done. I promised you that much before, remember?”

He made a soft noise of agreement, reaching out to hold onto her hips. “I’m going to kill them.”

C.C. leaned over to press her forehead against the top of his head. “I know.”

“If they even _touch_ them and because they got Suzaku, I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all and destroy this damn empire.”

“I know. And I’ll be here.”

“Because you promised?”

“Yes.” C.C. pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Because I promised.”


	2. Checkmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love royal AUs, but I never see them done with C.C. In this, she’s just about Lelouch’s age and not immortal. For the prompt: static.

Nunnally’s debut into society was a grand party, everything that she had wanted and probably a few things that she didn’t. But C.C. was sure that no one could tell by the way that the princess looked. She was smiling and greeting the late comers into the party, just like a good hostess should. C.C. was sure that Nunnally would be back out on the dance floor soon enough, sweeping around in her wheelchair and making all the boys wish to dance with her.

Of course, that would only happen if Lelouch left the party.

C.C. glanced across the room over the top of her glass, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a smile when she saw Lelouch tucked away in a corner, glaring at any male who talked to his little sister. If he continued, C.C. was sure that Nunnally would not be able to dance with anyone, which would be a disappointment.

The party had been all that Nunnally had talked about for the last few weeks. C.C. had been spending as much time with the young princess as she could, mostly to avoid her own family. She didn’t feel like retreating to the east coast of Britannia for the fall, especially when there was a large chance that she would be stuck there until late spring or early summer. Considering that Lelouch would be heading off to the EU to continue UFN talks sometime in November and not coming back for at least a year, C.C. would be stuck with her family or the machinations of the court, neither of which sounded like any fun to her.

Perhaps she could contact the Makals. Her mother would jump at the chance to strengthen ties with the family, and the Makals were in the EU. They weren’t close to the temporary UFN headquarters, but it wasn’t something a day of travel couldn’t fix. Besides, C.C. was sure that the Makals wouldn’t want to house her for the entire time and politics were always interesting. It was easily better than staying in Pendragon, especially when she would essentially be stuck listening to the court gossip, which would be boring, unless there was a good scandal. But there hadn’t been a good scandal in Pendragon since Charles had married Marianne and C.C. couldn’t sense another one coming for a long while. Compared to the east coast or a fall in Pendragon, spending time in the EU would be fun. C.C. was sure that she could find something to occupy her time when Lelouch was busy. Until then, she had to convince her parents to go, but that was a secondary worry at the moment.

Her first priority was make sure that Lelouch didn’t ruin Nunnally’s night.

She set her drink down on the table, striding across the room. The young boys there knew better than to ask to dance with her, C.C. was sure that they were all too scared of her to really even talk to her. There were too many rumors about what she really was, much to her mother’s annoyance, but they just made her laugh. Rumors were like armor in the royal court, everyone focused on what they had heard instead of what she really was and that worked in her favor. Besides, if the court was focused on what they thought she was, they wouldn’t be focused on her and Lelouch.

Then again, most of the people at court were too focused on the surface and didn’t bother to read into the situation. They saw countless arguments between the two of them and thought it was a tempestuous friendship instead of foreplay.

C.C. ducked past as group of young men attempting to goad each other into asking Cornelia for a dance. She didn’t bother to hide her smirk, because it was a stupid idea in the first place. All of them would get chased away by Dalton, glared at by Guildford or rudely denied by Cornelia; and they deserved it. If they wanted to survive the court, then they would have to learn to read the room. She didn’t count the young men who were trying to court Nunnally, because Lelouch was just overbearing.

She sidled up to Suzaku, smiling at Lelouch’s knight. He returned her smile, stepping to the side to allow her to pass. She reached out to pat his arm in thanks before stepping over to stand by Lelouch.

C.C. waited by his side for a moment, rolling her eyes when he ignored her in favor of staring out at the dance floor. She spared a glance towards Nunnally, smiling as a nervous looking young boy bowed over her hand at the end of a dance. The boy glanced over at where Lelouch was standing before kissing the back of Nunnally’s hand. Beside her, C.C. saw Lelouch tense out of the corner of her eye. She huffed and reached over to take the drink out of his hand.

“What-” Lelouch tried to snatch the glass back again, but C.C. just passed it to Suzaku. The knight nodded and took a step away, giving C.C. room to catch Lelouch’s arm when he went to grab it from Suzaku. Lelouch narrowed his eyes, his full attention going back to her. “C.C….”

“It was for your own good.” C.C. flicked her fingers towards Suzaku, warning the knight to take a few steps away, just to be sure. Lelouch wouldn’t charge after him, but it would be better if Lelouch’s one sure ally was out of reach, even if C.C. was sure that Suzaku would be on her side for this. “You’ve had enough.”

“I’ve had two glasses.”

“More than enough after you’ve spent the entire time glaring at any of Nunnally’s suitors. You don’t need anything that will convince you to do something stupid.” To her relief, Lelouch looked properly chastised for a moment, at least until he puffed himself up. C.C. rolled her eyes and rested a hand on his shoulder giving Lelouch a shove when he went to walk away. “Listen to me when I’m trying to save you. Let Nunnally have this one night and then you can go back to hovering over her at every moment. She’ll hate you if you mess this up.”

“She won’t hate me.”

“She’ll mope, which is probably worse for you.” By the way that Lelouch’s shoulders slumped, C.C. knew that she had him. The problem came in keeping him that way.  Left to his own devices, Lelouch would go back to glaring, which wouldn’t be good for anyone.

C.C. glanced over her shoulder at the party, raising her eyebrows as the same nervous boy from before stuttered through a conversation with Nunnally. He was probably asking her for another dance and, by the look on Nunnally’s face, she would say yes. C.C. had a hunch that Nunnally would dance with that particular boy all evening; she and her brother shared the same facial expression when they were plotting, albeit Nunnally’s was a bit softer. Considering Nunnally’s grand plans for the evening, it would be best to get Lelouch away from the party entirely, which was a sacrifice that C.C. was willing to make.

She had carried out her duties at the party, taking to all of their family’s allies and spending time with Nunnally. Unless Lelouch decided to move away from his spot near the wall, which was very unlikely, the pool of young men available to dance was annoyingly small. Then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised all of them wanted to dance with Princess Nunnally. It was probably in her best interests to leave the party with Lelouch before he did something stupid. That was a far sounder plan than standing around and keeping tabs on him. She could introduce her idea of going to the EU with him and start on the convincing.

At the moment, convincing sounded much more fun that staying at the party.

C.C. tucked her arm into Lelouch’s, earning a raised eyebrow from the prince. Lelouch didn’t bother to protest until she was dragging him towards the door and even then it was in a whisper. “What are you doing?”

“Saving your relationship with your sister and, more importantly, keeping myself from getting too bored. There are other things that we can do. Right Lelouch?”

She saw his eyes track down the neckline of her dress before he jerked his gaze up. C.C. didn’t bother to hide her smile at the blush that crossed his cheeks or the way that Lelouch picked up his pace. For one of the more brilliant princes, he was very easy to distract. She chuckled to herself and pressed closer to his side, letting herself be guided away from the ballroom.

The halls of the palace were practically deserted, something that was in their favor. Of course there were rumors about the two of them, rumors that Lelouch still half heartedly tried to deny and C.C. ignored completely. But it was easier to escape when they didn’t have people gaping at them and when C.C. was sure that no one would go running to her mother to report what she was doing. Then again, her mother had to be used to her antics by now.

Lelouch’s rooms were on the ground floor of the palace, so he could be closer to his sister. C.C. knew that Marianne had once had a suite that was close to her two children, but she had since moved to the emperor’s rooms, if only unofficially. It didn’t matter, especially since C.C. had seen Marianne and Charles slipping out of the party and hour earlier. It didn’t take much to imagine what they were doing and C.C. couldn’t fault Marianne on a brilliant plan.

She watched as Lelouch’s fingers shook a bit as he keyed in the code to his room, C.C. sure that she wasn’t helping by turning her head so her breaths would ghost across his neck. She felt him tense beneath her hand, sure that she was going to get told to hold on for a moment so he could concentrate, but the warning never came. Lelouch just exhaled shakily as the door slid open, rushing her into his sitting room.

He stripped off his coat as soon as the door slid shut behind the three of them, Suzaku dutifully catching it and folding it over his arm. C.C. turned to face the knight, noting that Suzaku was fighting back a smile at Lelouch’s haste. The two of them seemed to be in agreement to ignore the prince for a moment, especially while he was trying to take off his shoes while still standing up.

“Will you need anything before I leave you two alone Lady C.C?”

“Tell my maid that I’ll be out for the evening and bring a change of clothes by when you bring breakfast. Other than that, we’re not to be disturbed.”

Suzaku bowed, draping Lelouch’s coat over the back of a chair before walking out of the room. Knowing him, he would immediately deliver her message before ducking back into the party to congratulate Nunnally. If he was lucky, then Princess Euphemia might work up the courage to ask him to dance. C.C. had seen her eyeing the knight during the party.

All thoughts of the party were forgotten as Lelouch reached for her arm again, pulling her close. C.C. laughed, reaching up to straighten Lelouch’s hair. “Impatient?”

“Shut up.” The words were said with a smile and had no real force. Knowing Lelouch, they were the closest he would come to an endearment at the stage they were at, and C.C. was alright with that. Maybe she would be able to coax a pet name out of him while they were in the EU. If not, she would find one that made him squirm.

Until then there were other things to focus on. C.C. grinned and took Lelouch’s hand in hers, tugging him back towards his bedroom.


	3. Snow Itself is Lonely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the Demons, Witches and Daemons AU that I wrote before. For the prompt: snow.

“The snow itself is lonely or, if you prefer, self-sufficient. There is no other time when the whole world seems composed of one thing and one thing only.” – Joseph Wood Krutch

C.C. leaned against the railings of the back porch, lazily tapping the tip of her boot against the concrete. She was sure that if Lelouch saw her he would panic, which just made her want to laugh. It was nearly three in the morning on a school night and no one would be up. Anyone who was up was probably just frantically trying to finish up homework or study for a test. C.C. tipped her head back, feeling the corner of her mouth twitch up into a smile.

They would be disappointed then, because it was snowing. A thick layer had already accumulated on the ground. C.C. wouldn’t be able to tell how much there would be until Coresin came back from his flight, but she was sure that it would at least slow the Tokyo Settlement down. All of those students could have gotten a few more hours of sleep and she would laugh at them when she was nice and comfy in bed, as soon as Lelouch and Verisia deserted it.

She would have been comfortable tucked up in bed with them, but Lelouch squirmed in his sleep. He was always tossing and turning, grabbing at his daemon, pillows and even her like they were his only lifeline. Even that C.C. didn’t mind, because it meant warmth and a kind of comfort. For that, she could ignore the way that Coresin chuckled at her, because she knew that he felt just as good. It had been a long time since they had had some kind of positive human interaction.

That wasn’t the reason that she was awake.

Coresin had felt it before she had, the choking feeling of being too enclosed. He had been hopping around all day, unable to stay in one place for too long. Verisia had even snapped at him once for it, but Lelouch had said nothing. He had just watched. Knowing Lelouch, he was probably searching for her weakness or planning for some big Black Knights raid, one that would have to be postponed because of the weather. C.C. couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to go out and fight Britannia in the freezing cold.

The need to escape had finally gotten her to move from her warm bed, taking her and her daemon out onto the porch. Coresin had taken off from there, flying as fast as he could. C.C. never asked where he went, mostly because she knew what he was doing. He was trying to get away, just generally away. At the moment, she couldn’t, couldn’t run after him or sneak through the city, not when she wasn’t sure who was still looking for her. It didn’t hurt to have Coresin away from her for any length of time, but she didn’t want to be taken by those scientists again without him. Having him close had helped, even if it had just brought him into their grasp for experimentation. She was a witch after all, one of the few remaining of that dying breed, but she was special.

She shook the images of scientists pointing out the red mark on Coresin’s head away. They were free and they were safe, for now. Lelouch and Verisia seemed willing to put up with them. If not, then Nunnally and Sindri were certainly on their side.

Then again, Lelouch was certain to keep them close, mostly to learn about the power she had given him and C.C. was alright with that. Close meant a roof over her head and safety. But none of those helped when she and Coresin felt trapped. When that happened, they needed to run.

C.C. leaned out over the railing, letting a few flakes fall and melt in the palm of her hand. She tipped her hand from side to side, watching the flakes slide off of it. The snow was beautiful, but all she could see was cold. Cold nights spent it rags and a nagging hunger that wouldn’t go away. It reminded her of the times it would have been better to have an end in sight.

She pulled her hand back, gripping the railing tightly as the urge to run came over her again. C.C. took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and watching as the cloud drifted into the night. That was some form of escape, some part of her getting free. And Coresin was out there, flying through the snow until he felt like he could come back. Both of those were better than nothing. There were always ways for her to escape.

The door creaked as it was pushed open, C.C. turning slowly to look at who was coming out of the clubhouse. She had expected the maid or Nunnally; the latter’s bedroom was on the way to the porch and she was sure that Nunnally was a light sleeper.

Instead it was Lelouch with Verisia tucked in his arms. The fox daemon looked ready to fall back asleep, which meant that Lelouch had reached for her and hadn’t found her there. That might explain some of the panic in his eyes. She knew too much to ever walk away from him, and he knew it. Then again, where else could she go?

The panic disappeared quickly, turning into something that could have been anger if Lelouch didn’t look half asleep. “It’s early. Why are you up?”

“Because I can be.” C.C. shrugged, leaning against the railing. “I don’t need you to babysit me. Or were you worried when I wasn’t there?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

His gaze darted up to her shoulder, where Coresin would usually perch. She could tell the exact minute when Lelouch worked out that the crow was gone by the way he held Verisia a little tighter and shrunk back. He still wasn’t used to seeing her daemon gone completely, but he wouldn’t demand to know where he was. That was far better than some of the other people she had made contracts with in the past. Some of them had demanded her to keep Coresin with her at all times because it was too unnatural to be seen without him. Like they could order a witch to do what they wanted.

She sighed and made a shooing motion at him. “I promised that we would be accomplices. To leave now would be stupid, especially since you haven’t fulfilled my wish. That was part of our agreement, remember?”

“I remember.” He snapped out the words, startling Verisia out of her half doze. The fox sat up in his arms, pressing the top of her head against his chin. Lelouch smoothed a hand down her side, lowering his voice when he spoke again. “I remember, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t worry.”

“I won’t go running off on you and I won’t spread your secret around.” At the purposeful look at her shoulder, C.C. shook her head. “And neither would Coresin. It’s in our best interests for you to remain anonymous. Besides, no one will believe me.”

That got Lelouch to relax, the prince taking a step backwards so he was no longer standing on the porch. C.C. made to motion for him to go back further into the house when Lelouch paused, Verisia shifting so she was leaning out. “So, why are you out here then?”

“Coresin likes to fly. It’s better to do it at night when no one is watching.” The lie was easy to tell, it was the same one she had been using for as long as she could remember. C.C. couldn’t help herself from adding a bit on with a smirk. “And I have to get fresh air somehow. Lelouch doesn’t want me to be seen.”

Lelouch snorted, but didn’t slam the door shut. “Don’t stay out too long. I don’t want you climbing back into bed half frozen.”

“And disturb your precious beauty sleep? Never.”

C.C. was sure that she heard Verisia laughing before Lelouch shushed her. She turned around again, staring out at the snow. Coresin was still out and would be for a long while, so she would probably end up slipping back into bed cold. Maybe she would wait for Lelouch to wake up and maybe she wouldn’t, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she could freeze to death anymore. If she got too cold, she would just borrow one of Lelouch’s jackets, he wouldn’t mind and would probably never find out. Waiting for her daemon to come back was far easier than letting him in after going inside and it would give her the chance to escape from the walls that seemed to be closing her in.

She drummed her fingers against the railing, tipping her head to the side. “Lelouch?”

He sighed, confirming that he was still standing by the door. “Are you going to ask me about the snow again? Because I don’t know why it’s white and I don’t really care.”

“No. You just think it’s beautiful. But do you know what snow also is?”

When he didn’t respond, she turned to face him, a smile on her face. “Temporary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [C.C. – Coresin (crow)](http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/american_crow_7.jpg)   
>    
>  [Lelouch – Verisia (red fox)](http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/data/media/1/running-red-fox_3811.jpg)   
>  [Nunnally – Sindri (unsettled, prefers Red Crowned Crane shape)](http://www.nejohnston.org/Birds/2012/04/Images/IMG_5755.jpg)


	4. Poor Unfortunate Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off of the [mermaid Lelouch picture](http://touchreceptors.tumblr.com/post/18005246426/backing-up-some-of-my-old-old-drawings-here) by [touchreceptors](http://touchreceptors.tumblr.com/). Title from  _Poor Unfortunate Souls_  from The Little Mermaid. For the prompt: wish.

The cave of the sea witch looked just like it always did, cluttered with bits of shell and rock. Lelouch was never sure if it was a clever disguise or if C.C. really just didn’t care. Once, when he had just begun visiting the sea witch, he would have immediately said the latter, but now he wasn’t sure. C.C. was clever, not in the way that he or Schneizel was, but on a smaller scale. Lelouch was sure that she knew something about everyone in the kingdom, and that it wouldn’t take her too long to get what she wanted from anyone. He was sure that she knew his father’s breaking point, which was exactly why he had sought her out.

He pushed away the tangle of seaweed that was draped over the entrance to the furthest reaches of her cave, the private residence that rarely anyone saw. Lelouch avoided the room where she worked, mostly because the lights that usually flickered on the walls were gone, meaning that C.C. was still reclining in bed. It was still early for anyone to seek out the sea witch to have all of their problems solved, and Lelouch would take blatant advantage of it.

Lelouch didn’t bother to knock as he swam into the cave, rolling his eyes when he saw C.C. sprawled out on the padded shelf. She was awake, but she was just staring at the ceiling, the cuttlefish that never left her side tucked into the crook of her elbow. It was only when he approached that he realized that she was smiling.

“I wondered when you would come find me.”

“Why?”

“Because I heard about it.” C.C. pushed herself up, two of her tentacles hooking around the edges of the shelf to push herself out into the open water. She still cradled her cuttlefish in her arms, stroking the top of its head absently. “It’s hard not to. First the explosions and then the shouting…I’m sure that most of it was you though. And it’s hard not to hear about when a prince gets exiled from Pendragon.”

Lelouch blushed and looked away, choosing to stare at the wall rather than face her mocking smile. He had hoped that the news hadn’t made it as far as C.C, that he would have been able to put his own spin on the story. It was humiliating enough that all of his siblings _and_ the whole court had watched him shout at his father, had watched him disgrace himself and then storm off when he had lost. It was bad enough to know that nearly all of them had been calculating how to use his downfall to get closer to Charles, and how that would affect the empire from there.

It was worse to know that anyone could get to Nunnally now, especially since she was hurting so badly. Anyone who wanted to gain royal favor or manipulate Charles through one of his favorite daughters could. Lelouch’s life meant nothing if Nunnally was taken away from him, and his father had _known_ that.

He flinched when C.C. gently took his chin, using the hold to turn his head to look at her. He grimaced at the feel of the tentacle against his face, sure that he would have marks from the suckers. Suzaku would probably demand an explanation for it, just like he had all the other times. That was, of course, unless Lelouch finished up his business quickly. Knowing Suzaku, he would find a way to bring Nunnally with him, and Lelouch wasn’t ready for that, not when he had spent all night planning what he would have to do.

C.C. tsked, the tip of the tentacle on his chin tapping against his cheek. “I know that look, boy. You and your mother both looked like that before you did something stupid.”

Lelouch tensed at the mention of his mother, but quickly brushed the annoyance away. Everyone knew that the sea witch was ancient and eternal and everyone knew the rumors about Lady Marianne. About how she had befuddled the emperor with the help of the sea witch. It was how she had become a knight and then gained her place as empress. It was why she was killed, because the king’s beloved brother couldn’t stand the sight of seeing Charles taken advantage of. Vincent was still spoken highly of, even through he had been exiled seven years ago. He had ended the enchantment, but he had killed the empress. The proper action had to be taken.

Fewer people knew that all of that was a lie.

The tentacle tapped at his cheek again, Lelouch finally brushing it away. He backed up, wanting to put distance between himself and the sea witch. She was going to taunt him, she always did, but Lelouch was not in the mood. This was serious, at least for him, and he wanted her to understand that she should treat it the same way.

“I’m here about Nunnally.”

“Of course you are. I never thought otherwise.” C.C. let got of her cuttlefish, the little animal drifting up to swim slowly around her head. “What do you need me to do? Have potions ready to relay to that friend of yours so she can sneak out? A spell to put that grotto of hers back to rights? A meeting place for the two of you?”

“I need you to turn her into a human.”

He could tell that he had managed to shock her by the way that her tentacles flared out around her. And then she smiled, a slow smile that would have made him shiver during the first months that he had known her. But now it just meant that she was interested, it was an invitation to go on.

Lelouch sighed, dropping down to sit on one of the rocks that were scattered around the room. “I can’t go back to the palace, and I need her to be safe. While I’m going, someone is going to use her to get close to Father or worse, Father will use her for his own ends. I’m not going to let that happen.”

“And sending her away would be better?”

“I can’t take her with me. I don’t even know where I will be, and I can’t do that to Nunnally. I want her safe.”

C.C. hummed, dropping so she was sitting on the rock in front of him. She leaned her cheek on her hand, studying his face for a moment. “And you don’t want to go with her?”

He wanted to say yes, he ached to. Nunnally would always be safer with him, but that wasn’t something he could do. There were other things, more important things that he had to focus on. Exiled from Pendragon, he wasn’t restricted anymore and, with Nunnally safely out of the way, he would be able to act. “No. Only Suzaku.”

“Leaving your precious sister with Suzaku? You’re planning something interesting.” She poked a tentacle he way. “Tell me.”

“Not until you promise to help me.”

C.C. slumped, glaring at him for a moment before she schooled her face back into its usual neutral expression. “I could make that my price, you know. Tell me what you’re planning for the spell. And it would be a bargain for you. I usually charge a higher price.”

“What’s the point when I’m just going to tell you later?” Lelouch smirked, watching the sea witch carefully.

He had spent the entire night thinking his plan out, going over every possible idea until he had narrowed it down to one. In any of the plans he thought up, having C.C. on his side was essential. Until he could gain the support he needed, he would need the upper hand, and C.C. was the only way to gain that.

“Fine. Deal.” C.C. got up, swimming over to the passage that led to her workroom. She paused at the opening, glancing back over her shoulder at Lelouch. “You know that the people up there might take advantage of her.”

“That’s why I’m sending Suzaku.”

“And you know that she’s in love with a prince up there.”

Lelouch ignored the second statement, following C.C. into the workroom. He was well aware of the prince, he had watched the boy when he could. He had tried to factor in a way to get rid of the prince entirely, but that would have made Nunnally sad and would have eliminated a chance for more protection for his sister. Nunnally wasn’t stupid, but she wouldn’t manipulate people, not like Lelouch would. Lelouch just wanted everything that he could predict between Nunnally and anyone who could do her harm. Having a prince in love with her would just help that.

He tracked C.C. as she floated around the room, picking up bottles and letting them drift in the room. She kept quiet until she had pulled the last one down, C.C. tugging herself back to Lelouch’s level with a tentacle hooked on the edge of her cauldron. “We haven’t agreed on the price.”

“It would be better to do that after I tell you what else I need.” Lelouch grabbed a hold of the cauldron, leaning forward slightly. “I want to obliterate my father and everything he created. I want to wipe out this empire of his.”

“Because he exiled you?”

“Because he had my mother killed. And because this whole empire is rotten to the core.” Lelouch paused to take a breath, looking away from C.C. “I’ll need your help.”

“Well then, that does raise the price.” Lelouch turned his head to speak, stopping when C.C. pressed a tentacle against his lips. “I never said I wouldn’t help you, but it will be a steep price.”

“I’ll do it.” Lelouch made a face and pushed C.C’s tentacle away. “For Nunnally, I’ll do it.”

“Fine. First, for turning Nunnally and Suzaku into humans, I want you to accept a power that I’ll give you. For helping you with your rebellion, I want you to fulfill my wish at the time that I tell you.”

Lelouch stared at her, not sure if he should agree too quickly, because it sounded too good to be true. She was offering him a power for one of his prices, which sounded more like a free gift than a price. He narrowed his eyes. “What kind of power?”

“It manifests differently in each person.” She flicked her bangs out of the way, Lelouch briefly distracted by the red mark on her forehead. “Only one thing remains the same. The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"

“Yes.”

C.C. laughed at that, reaching out with her hand to ruffle his hair. “You are a foolish, young prince.”

Lelouch reached up and grabbed her hand, bringing it away from his hair. “And you are a lazy, old witch. Do we have a deal?”

C.C. tipped her head to the side, watching him for a moment before nodding and shaking his hand. “We do.”


	5. Endless Elegy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from _Elegy_ by Globus. For the prompt: pizza.

It never surprised C.C. that she came to associate food with contracts, because it was the only time she had a steady supply of food. Between contracts, she was usually on her own, stuck doing odd jobs to earn enough money for food and a roof over her head.

At first, she had been reluctant to make contracts because they failed so often, and she hated to kill the people she had gotten close to. As she had grown older and time started to weigh on her, C.C. had never cared. It was food in her belly and a warm place to stay. With everything that went on in the world, that was far more important than some old moral code.

But that didn’t mean that she ever forgot them.

Sister Eleanor had been the one to give her the geass, the one to eventually betray her, but C.C. had moved beyond her hatred. Now it was just a dull annoyance, because she should have known better. But she had been young and starving, easily influenced by the offer of a way to keep living and a way to make her life better. Easily swayed by a warm fire, a roof over her head and fresh bread.

C.C. still had difficulty finding bread that she liked. It always reminded her of a small church and a nun whose smile was far more brittle than it should have been.

Abel was next, a young boy who had so wanted to be a soldier. C.C. had given him his geass only because she had been on the brink of starvation. Because she couldn’t die, the pain was unending. It was enough to make her wish that she could die. So a young boy had gotten a power that would become the death of him, and C.C. had mourned him because of it. She had thought that maybe if she was stronger, if she hadn’t damned herself to an eternal life of hell then Abel would have lived.

He was constantly linked in her mind to campaign food. Whatever the soldiers could catch and eat was what she got. She mostly remembered the thick stews that Abel seemed to be able to create out of nothing and how it had amazed her. C.C. had tried to recreate the stews herself, and she told herself that they tasted exactly the same. She was just being sentimental and missing the young soldier by her side.

Renya had never been given a geass, a failing that C.C. had never really figured out. She didn’t care to either, because she had stuck by him since he was interesting. He had been her brief escape from Europe and the endless wars, a way to get away before people started to add up the rumors of her existence. After hundreds of years of wandering, it had been fun to do something different, to have someone entertaining instead of the endless drudgery of her days.

It was almost confusing to associate Renya with rice alone. Out of everything she had eaten while in his company, plain rice was the thing that stuck with her long after she had left Japan to return to Europe.

Mary and Rachel had been a surprise, two girls who wanted nothing more than for the world to go away so they could be with each other. C.C. still wasn’t sure how she had gotten them to agree to a geass, especially since it had ended so badly. She hadn’t expected Rachel to go insane and start killing other women, the prostitutes on the streets. C.C. wasn’t even sure what had triggered the violent outbreak. She only knew that it had ended with Mary Jane Kelly dead and C.C. smuggling Rachel out of England. Rachel had talked about how they would go to a place where she wouldn’t be able to see into the future, but she never made it over the channel.

If she had been a better person, C.C. would have brought Rachel back to rest by Mary.

All she knew was that tea was bitter and no amount of sugar or honey could ever sweeten it enough for her to drink it.

Simon had been just because she was bored. The Britannian Empire was young and C.C. had felt like she could do anything. He had been a rising star in the political field before he had crashed. C.C. hadn’t even bothered to let his geass get too far, letting him walk into his own death when he betrayed the wrong people. She had been seeing the signs of failure for months and she had just wanted it all to end.

Simon hadn’t been able to grant her wish for an end to her eternal life, he had just made a delicious pot roast.

Marianne vi Britannia was a surprise, and the closest C.C. had ever come to feeling alive. In the end, she didn’t care that she was let down, because there had been a back up plan. Even if Marianne hadn’t taken her code, the end to her wanderings was in sight. What she _did_ care about was the fact that her friend had died and that V.V. had been the one to do it. She had trusted the other code bearer, and it had just led to her being driven away. Away from her only friend, away from the plans that she wanted so badly to succeed, away from a life that she had finally felt safe with.

C.C. always associated the Aries Villa was seafood, because Marianne had never been able to eat it. She had always pushed the plate to C.C. and told her to enjoy herself. C.C. had never been needed to be told twice.

Mao was the only one she had never associated with food, mostly because he hadn’t brought anything to her. She had protected and raised him, giving him his geass out of a need to get herself away from what Marianne and the others had been doing. Or maybe it was because she had felt pity for him. C.C. had never known. She just knew that she had created him and she had dealt with him in the end, and it was better to let him remain forgotten.

Lelouch was another story altogether. Lelouch was the closest she had come to finally dying and the first time she had really gotten to live. Lelouch had been her friend, accomplice and everything in between. She hadn’t been safe, but it had been fun in its own way.

Lelouch was connected to pizza always and forever in her mind. A circle filled with toppings, and there was always one flavor that overwhelmed the others and C.C. couldn’t bring herself to order them any other way. There always had to be something that stood out, something that just wouldn’t mix with the flavors.

It was a tribute in the only way C.C. could manage to give, an eternal memory locked in something that she enjoyed having. Because that’s all she could do for any of them in the end.

The smile she absently gave to the sky after she finished a pizza was different.

She always smiled because Lelouch had asked.


End file.
